Huskies hold down #19 Ferris State 67-52
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#19 Ferris State | 18 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 52 |
|
Michigan Tech | 20 | 16 | 20 | 11 | 67 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. - Isabella Lenz posted her first 20-point game of the season and Michigan Tech played sound defense to defeat No. 19 ranked Ferris State 67-52 Sunday afternoon at SDC Gymnasium. The Huskies outscored the Bulldogs 20-8 in the third quarter and limited Ferris State to 24 percent overall shooting to notch their third straight victory.
Sara Dax found success in the paint and beyond the arc with 16 points and nine rebounds while Alex Rondorf contributed a season-high 15 rebounds to go with six points.
"I'm super proud of the way our girls came out and played inspired basketball," said head coach Sam Clayton. "We played great team defense right from the start and got stops against their top players. It was good to see Bella (Lenz) make some shots early. She hit a really critical three when Ferris was looking to make a run. She is confident and poised to shoot behind ball screens so that was nice to see."
The Huskies limited the Bulldogs to 2 of 17 from downtown in the first half and took a 36-31 lead into the locker room. Shooting struggles continued in the third frame for the Bulldogs, who made just a single field goal on 16 tries over the next ten-minute stretch.
Tech turned around a slow start on the boards in the second half and led the category 48-46 after allowing 11 offensive rebounds through 20 minutes. Leading the conference for fewest turnovers, the Huskies committed 12 turnovers and passed 15 assists. Lenz marked five.
"Beating a team as good as Ferris definitely feels good," Katelyn Meister said. "Going into the game the focus was on ourselves, getting back to our defensive principles and moving the ball offensively. We always believe in ourselves and our potential but those were the things we were focused on."
Chloe Idoni led the Bulldogs with 18 points (15 in the first half) to match her season average and added 13 rebounds. Kenzie Bowers also had a double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds. Mia Riley added 13 points off the bench.
Michigan Tech (9-2, 3-1 GLIAC) collected its first win over a top-25 team since March 5 at No. 2 Grand Valley State and passed Ferris State for second place in the conference standings. Ferris State fell to 7-2, 2-2 GLIAC and split the weekend after downing Northern Michigan Friday night.
The Huskies host Division III Finlandia University on Saturday, December 17 before taking a break over the holidays.
